The Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance Act requires verification that adults who seek state-administered benefits are in the United States legally and therefore eligible to receive those services. It also requires citizenship verification of state employees and employers with state contracts and will sanction employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants.

The new bill also gives local law enforcement agencies the tools to work with federal officials to enforce immigration laws in Georgia by giving them the authority to check the legal status of anyone charged with a crime. Many large cities such as Los Angeles have policies that prevent their police officers from checking an arrestee’s immigration status.

Despite the expected leftwing chastising, many are praising Perdue for his gutsy action. One political blog compliments Perdue for starting a wave of measures to stop the horrendous illegal immigration problems that continue to plague this country and encourages people to thank the governor.